Chiltern Harriers won the team event in the Berkhamsted Half Marathon last Sunday, 4 March. This is a well-supported and hotly contested half marathon which starts and finishes at the Cricket Club by the old castle in Berkhamsted. It is organised by Rotary Clubs of Berkhamsted to raise funds for the Pepper Foundation for sick children. There were 943 finishers this year on a cold, wet, windy Sunday morning and Chiltern Harriers were the winning team. The first four home for Chiltern were Derek Brown finishing in third place with an excellent time of 1h:15m:21s, followed by John Morton 27th in 1h:22m:45s, Michael Turney, 38th in 1h:25m:22s and lastly Roger Ellerby, showing he is coming in to form in time for the London Marathon with a time of 1h:26m:27s for 48th place. Roger was also first finisher of the Vet - over 50 runners.
Their placings gave them place points of 116, well ahead of second placed Shaftesbury Barnet with 158 place points. Race winner was Anthony Jackson of Shaftesbury Barnet in 1h:13m:07s, followed by Trevor Hunter of Handy Cross Runners in 1h:13m:57s., followed of course by Derek Brown in third place.
First woman was Sarah Swan of London Heathside in 1h:25m:29s, followed by Lucy Hadler, an unattached runner, in 1h:28m:45s. Sandra Reynolds of Chiltern Harriers took the fourth woman spot in 1h:29m06s, just behind Lucy Tapper of Vale of Aylesbury in 1h:28m:59s.
There was also a five-mile race run at the same time, with many school-boy and school-girl runners involved. Tommy Sheldrick, a 17-year old from Berkhamsted College won this race in 28m:57s. Berkhamsted College also took the school team prize. The over-all team prize in the 5-mile was won by Watford Harriers.
Many of the runners in the Half Marathon, including those from Chiltern Harriers, are in preparation for the London Marathon in April. Judging by their success in this race, the Chiltern Harrier runners must be preparing pretty well.
Nigel Derby